Beauregarde (Featuring Greg Sage)

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Business Lady on Thu 21 Oct, 2010.

Bit of a curious effort is this one but totally worth investigating purely for it's obscurity more than anything else. Beauregarde was a Portland based professional wrestler who (by the sounds of it) totally kicked ass. For a start he used to ride a Harley motorcycle into the wrestling ring. Secondly, he sort of looks like a weird cross between Andre the Giant and Neil Young and on top of that he had his own band!!! This album was recorded in a day way back in the early 70's with Beauregarde's band that featured a 17 year old Greg Sage who would later go to own in The Wipers. The other cool thing about this record is that it's practically a soul record that doesn't mention wrestling at any point throughout. Musically this is a laid back homage to James Brown and Neil Young in equal measures with the heady mix of hammond organ and crazy horse style backing makes for a decent listen. Lyrically Beauregarde is full of naive charm and commonly brings a smile to my face. I'm quite taken by this record. He sings about the atrocities of war, burnt out rockstars, race relations and what it means to have soul. At times he's got a Neil Young tone, at others times he's not far from Ian Svenonious! Off course, your attention will inevitably be drawn to Greg's badass guitar playing. This guys got blues, soul, R&B, psych and good old Jimi Hendrix style licks totally nailed. Fucking RAD!

In recent years, a growing number of music collectors have taken an interest in the great lost works of the sixties and seventies. Nearly every city had bands that would hire a record plant to press up a limited run for the bands to sell. These records were rarely distributed outside of the band's home town and usually ended up being sold in local record shops or at live shows. This album is no exception, and in fact, comes from what some may perceive to be the most unlikely of influences: Psychedelic Rock and Professional Wrestling. The year was 1970, and the Portland-based wrestler Beauregarde was at the height of his career. Known for his loud entrance music, and the even louder three wheeled motorcycle that would carry him into the ring, he was one of the most genuinely intimidating and charismatic wrestlers of the time. In early 1970, he entered a Portland, OR recording studio with his band and a then unknown seventeen year old guitar player. That seventeen year old would later become punk rock legend and Wipers frontman, Greg Sage. In one afternoon they recorded what would see a limited release as an album, and would be used for Beauregarde's entrance music for the duration of his career. All lyrics and music were written by Beauregarde and, ironically, never mention wrestling at all. His vocal style is passionate and direct but yet never goes overboard. The music features Hendrix-esque guitar solos over rock rhythms and soul drum beats. After being highly sought after by collectors, we are proud to release these songs back on the vinyl format. With the help of Beauregarde and Greg Sage, the original master tapes were found and used to re-master this limited vinyl release. This LP serves as an important landmark in the worlds of wrestling, Portland's musical history, and psychedelic rock. We hope that you will come to enjoy and understand the importance of this album as we do.

Tracklisting:

1. I Got Something 2. Super Star Super Star 3. If You Got Soul 4. Tomorrow, Tomorrow 5. Everybody Ball 6. IÕm Talking Time 7. Testify 8. Pass Away 9. ÒIÓ

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